Eryngium plant named ‘Little Blue Wonder’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Eryngium  plant named ‘Little Blue Wonder’, characterized by its compact and upright plant habit; freely branching growth habit; and dark blue purple-colored flowers.

Botanical designation: Eryngium planum.

Cultivar denomination: ‘Little Blue Wonder’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Eryngium plant, botanically known as Eryngium planum, and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Little Blue Wonder’.

The new Eryngium is a naturally-occurring whole plant mutation of the Eryngium planum cultivar Fluela, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 7,218. The new Eryngium was discovered and selected by the Inventor in August, 2001 in a controlled environment in Wassenaar, The Netherlands from within a population of plants of ‘Fluela’.

Asexual reproduction of the new Eryngium by divisions at Rijnsburg, The Netherlands since January, 2003, has shown that the unique features of this new Eryngium are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Little Blue Wonder’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Little Blue Wonder’ as a new and distinct cultivar:

-   -   1. Compact and upright plant habit.     -   2. Freely branching growth habit.     -   3. Dark blue purple-colored flowers.

Plants of the new Eryngium differ primarily from plants of the parent, the cultivar Fluela, in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Ergyngium are more compact than plants of         the cultivar Fluela.     -   2. Plants of the new Eryngium have narrower leaves than plants         of the cultivar Fluela.     -   3. Plants of the new Eryngium have shorter flowering stems than         plants of the cultuvar Fluela.

Plants of the new Eryngium can be compared to plants of the Eryngium cultivar Sapphire Blue, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 11,088. Plants of the new Eryngium differ from plants of the cultivar Sapphire Blue in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Eryngium are more compact than plants of         the cultivar Sapphire Blue.     -   2. Plants of the new Eryngium have smaller leaves than plants of         the cultivar Sapphire Blue.     -   3. Plants of the new Eryngium and the cultivar Sapphire Blue         differ in leaf coloration.     -   4. Plants of the new Eryngium flower more freely and earlier         than plants of the cultivar Sapphire Blue.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying colored photographs illustrate the overall appearance of the new Eryngium, showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photographs may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Eryngium.

The photograph at the top of the sheet comprises a side perspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘Little Blue Wonder’.

The photograph at the bottom of the sheet comprises close-up views of the lower (top left) and upper (top right) surfaces of typical leaves and a typical flowering stem (bottom) of ‘Little Blue Wonder’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The cultivar ‘Little Blue Wonder’ has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, daylength and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.

In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 2001 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used. Plants used for the photographs and the following description were grown in Noordwijkerhout, The Netherlands, in an outdoor nursery under commercial practice during the summer and autumn for about six months with average day temperatures ranging from 18° C. to 27° C. and night temperatures ranging from 12° C. to 18° C.

-   Botanical classification: Eryngium planum cultivar ‘Little Blue     Wonder’. -   Parentage: Naturally-occurring whole plant mutation of the Eryngium     planum cultivar Fluela, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 7,218. -   Propagation:     -   -   Type.—By divisions.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plant.—About 80 days at 12°             C.         -   Root description.—Thick, fibrous; brown in color.         -   Rooting habit.—Freely branching; dense. -   Plant description:     -   -   Form/growth habit.—Compact and upright plant habit; freely             branching and flowering habit. Vigorous growth habit.         -   Branching habit.—About five to ten lateral branches per             plant.         -   Plant height at flowering.—About 35 cm.         -   Plant diameter at flowering.—About 20 cm.         -   Vegetative leaf description.—Arrangement: Alternate, simple.             Length: About 6 cm. Width: About 4.5 cm. Shape: Oblong.             Apex: Acuminate. Base: Cordate. Margin: Crenate. Texture,             upper and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous; leathery. Color:             Developing and fully expanded foliage, upper surface: 137A;             venation, 147B. Developing and fully expanded foliage, lower             surface: 146A; venation, 147B. Petiole length: About 2 cm.             Petiole diameter: About 1 cm. Petiole texture, upper and             lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous. Petiole color, upper and             lower surfaces: Close to 147B to 147C.         -   Reproductive leaf description.—Arrangement: Single leaves             subtending of the flowering stems; sessile. Length: About 1             cm to 5 cm. Width: About 2 cm to 4 cm. Shape: Palmately             lobed. Apex: Aristate. Base: Cuneate. Margin: Palmately             lobed; serrate. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Smooth,             glabrous; leathery. Color: Developing and fully expanded             foliage, upper surface: Between 137A and 147A; venation,             147B. Developing and fully expanded foliage, lower surface:             Between 137A and 147A; venation, 147B. -   Flower description:     -   -   Flower type and habit.—Teasel-like flower heads arranged on             erect leafy flower stems. Flowers sessile. Freely flowering             habit, about five to seven flowers per lateral branch.         -   Natural flowering season.—In The Netherlands, plants flower             from June through mid-October. Flowers persistent.         -   Time to flower.—Early flowering habit, plants begin             flowering about 16 to 18 weeks after planting.         -   Flower longevity.—Flowers of the new Eryngium maintain good             substance for about four to six weeks on the plant.         -   Flower diameter.—About 8 mm to 15 mm.         -   Flower height.—About 1 cm to 2 cm.         -   Flower shape.—Conical.         -   Bracts.—Quantity: About 13 per flower. Length: About 1 cm.             Width: About 2 mm. Shape: Roughly lanceolate. Apex: Sharply             acute. Base: Acuminate. Margin: Spiny. Texture, upper and             lower surfaces: Glabrous, smooth. Bract Color: When opening             and fully opened, upper surface: 137C. When opening and             fully opened, lower surface: 137A overlain with 93C. From a             distance, overall flower color appears to be close to 94A.         -   Peduncles.—Length: About 8 cm to 14 cm. Diameter: About             2 mm. Angle: Erect. Strength: Strong. Texture: Smooth,             glabrous. Color, immature: 193A. Color, mature: Between 93C             and 97C.         -   Reproductive organs.—Stamens: Anther length: About 2 mm.             Anther color: 94C. Filament length: About 3 mm. Filament             color: 97C. Pollen color: 91D. Pollen Amount: Moderate.             Pistils: Pistil length: About 3 mm to 4 mm. Style color:             94A. Stigma color: 94A.         -   Seeds/fruit.—Seed and fruit development have not been             observed. -   Disease/pest resistance: Resistance to known pathogens and pests     common to Eryngium has not been observed on plants of the new     Eryngium grown under commercial greenhouse conditions. -   Temperature tolerance: Plants of the new Eryngium have been observed     to tolerate temperatures from about −10° C. to about 30° C. 

1. A new and distinct cultivar of Eryngium plant named ‘Little Blue Wonder’, as illustrated and described. 